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| Media Contacts Mary Jo Wich Lois Kendall 314-525-4005 |
Release Date: 5/23/2008
Michele Jost (Ortho) Wins Nursing Excellence Award for 2008
Michele Jost , RN, Orthopedics, winner of St. Anthony's Nursing Excellence Award for 2008
Growing up, Michele Jost, acquired her love for nursing while caring for seven younger siblings.
Today, as a registered nurse in St. Anthony’s Medical Center’s Orthopedics, Jost focuses her care and her nursing skills on her patients and fellow employees. On May 9, her dedication earned her the 2008 Nursing Excellence Award.
“She is just over and above – always,” said charge nurse Denise McVey, as other voices chimed in from the nurses’ station in Orthopedics. “She’ll stay late to help,” added one. “She’s patient and passionate about the care she gives,” said another.
A registered nurse for 19 years, with more than half of those years at St. Anthony’s, Jost normally works nights in Orthopedics. She was called in during the day on a recent Friday, ostensibly to review some charts, and had no idea of her honor when she was approached by Sherry Nelson, vice president of Patient Care Services, and Barb Gubser, director of Medical/Surgical Services.
“Oh, my gosh,” Jost said. “It just can’t be.”
“Everything we did to get you in here was a ruse,” Gubser told her.
At the nurses’ station in Orthopedics, Jost was presented with a plaque, balloons, and a cake decorated with hula dancers and palm trees, in keeping with the beach-related theme of St. Anthony’s Nurses’ Week 2008 activities.
She also earned an eight-hour day off with pay and an expenses-paid trip to a professional seminar of her choice. The honor was well-deserved, said Kathleen Cepicky, nurse manager of Orthopedics.
“She’s just a phenomenal nurse,” Cepicky said. “She’s an exceptional role model for other nurses and an exceptional preceptor, with excellent orthopedic and medical knowledge. She mentors young nurses, leads by example and sets the bar high. I don’t think I’ve ever heard her say a negative word. She just makes everybody feel good, including patients.”
Nelson agreed. “We’re honored to have Michele employed at St. Anthony’s,” she said.
An employee of Orthopedics for seven years, Jost said she most enjoys taking care of patients. “Orthopedics is a great avenue for that,” she said. “You feel you’ve made a difference as patients progress through their stages of recovery and you see a definite improvement.”
Jost lives in south county with her husband, Steve, and four sons: Ryan, Brendan, Devin and Jordan. In her spare time she enjoys reading, sewing and attending her boys’ many sporting events
For information, please call our Health Access Line at 314-ANTHONY (268-4669) or 800-554-9550 or visit our find a physician online.
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